Mastering the song

- We've arrived at mastering;…it's our last stop on the train.…To many, mastering is a total mystery.…But let's unravel that mystery a little bit,…and see how it can add some magic to the track.…First of all, what the bleep is mastering?…It's many things; let's go into each of these.…First of all, mastering can make something louder;…it can make it better-sounding.…It's a series of compression, and EQ, and widening.…It's the sequencing of your material.…And by that, I mean, the ordering of the different songs.…

Do I want this song first, this one second,…so on and so forth.…It's the fades at the beginning and of songs,…and making sure that those are clean,…and those are the length that you want.…It's the time in between songs.…So, if you want there to be two seconds…in between songs seven and eight,…mastering engineers put that in.…But if you want song nine to segue into song ten,…they'll do that too, with no time in between,…and a nice cross-fade.…Very important is the sonic cohesion that mastering can add.…And here's what I mean by that.…

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Released

11/23/2016

Learn how to turn a demo recording to a fully mastered song with Grammy-winning writer/producer/mixer Scott Jacoby. These simple, memorable, and practical techniques cover the production process from beginning to end, introducing not just the how, but the why—the philosophies and concepts—behind great audio engineering. You'll understand how to choose the right song for recording, select a tempo and key, and lay down tracks with both real and virtual instruments and vocals. Scott then takes you into post, where the editing, mixing, and mastering magic happens. The techniques are demonstrated in Pro Tools, but you can follow along in any one of your favorite DAWs. By the end, you'll have the skills you need to record, edit, and mix a complete song.